99077 - Visual Anthropology (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

The course offers the tools to understand the implications related to the communication of anthropological themes and problems through audiovisual media. At the end of the course students: - know the fundamentals of visual anthropology in its different historical and cultural developments; - understand the intersection between visual anthropology and other representative genres in the field of cinema and contemporary visual art; - know how to use the visual anthropological approach in different geographical contexts.

Course contents

The teaching offers the tools to understand the implications related to the communication of anthropological themes and problems through audiovisual media. At the end of the course the student: - knows the foundations of visual anthropology in its various historical and cultural developments; - understands the intersection between visual anthropology and other representative genres in the field of cinema and contemporary visual art; - will be able to use the anthropological visual approach in different geographical contexts.

Where do images come from? What do they want? What do they do? How are they produced and where do they circulate? Who are their authors, activators, annotators and owners?

What kind of images count as political? Is their act of bearing witness and providing evidence enough to make them relevant? What kind of space is the space of the archive? Is it national, local or international(ist)? Can images activate the future rather than just ‘taxidermically’ (Rony, 1996) capture the past? Can cinema not only be reflexive of the condition of life under capitalism but also attempt to change them?

Bringing together anthropology, visual art and film studies, this course will consider how images can bring forth intersectional and emancipatory imaginaries and trigger social change. Moreover, going beyond the western epistemology and aesthetics of realism, often associated with the voyeuristic male gaze and the problematic notion of visual evidence, we will discuss opaque (Glissant, 1990) , relational and sensuous forms of witnessing, dwelling and ‘taking position through images’ (Didi-Huberman, 2018).

We will discuss how to create images in contexts of civil conflict and political unrest – the personal risks, legal consequences, ethical pressures, but also the strategic possibilities associated with producing images in rapidly changing social contexts. We will compare documentary and fictional genres, and ask how these two registers can work together. We will ask how the militant tradition of third cinema can be reactivated in the current context of post-truth, hyper-mediation and techno-acceleration.

We will investigate cinematic representation of labour as a way to reflect on the labour of filmmaking and on the economies of production and distribution associated with contemporary visual images. We will touch upon the poetic of melodrama, associated with subaltern voices; fourth and indigenous cinema; online archives; filmmaking as a civil contract (Azoulay, 2008) and forms of visual sovereignty, internationalism and south-to-south solidarity.

The course encourages a dialogue between sociological categories – namely the notions of ‘humanism’, ‘race’, ‘class’, ‘sexuality’, ‘indigeneity’, ‘work’; ‘agency’ and ‘subjectivity’ – and visual analysis. It is based on active collective discussions, analyses and reflections and on an ethos of open and horizontal learning.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is suggested that they get in touch as soon as possible with the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and with the lecturer in order to seek together the most effective strategies for following the lessons and/or preparing for the examination.

Readings/Bibliography

Balsom, E. and H. Peleg. 2022. Feminist Worldmaking and the Moving Image. Berlin: HKW.

Campt, T. 2021. A Black Gaze. Artists Changing How we See. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England: The MIT Press. 

Russell, C. 1999. Experimental Ethnography: The Work of Film in the Age of Video. Durham: Duke University Press.

Mollona, M. 2021. ART/COMMONS. Anthropology Beyond Capitalism. London: Zed Press.

Rony, F. 1996. The Third Eye: Race, Cinema and Ethnographic Spectacle. Duke University Press. 

 

Teaching methods

Direct teaching, seminars with individual and collective presentations and masterclasses with experts in the discipline.

Assessment methods

The programme is the same for attending and non attending students. It is recommended to always consult the "notifications" section on the teacher's web page for information on the program and the exam.

The verification of learning takes place through a written exam lasting 2 hours. The test consists of a question with an open answer related to the bibliography of the course. There is no length limit on responses.

The use of AI tools during the exam is prohibited in any form, including chatbots, text generators, advanced translators, content synthesizers, and tools integrated into devices.

Any use of AI is considered a violation of the principle of honesty and fairness set out in the Policy and may result in the annulment of the exam by the instructor, who remains responsible for verifying the validity of the assessment.

Students with SLD or temporary or permanent disabilities. It is necessary to contact the relevant University office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) with ample time in advance: the office will propose some adjustments, which must in any case be submitted 15 days in advance to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of these in relation to the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

Powerpoint and video projections.

Office hours

See the website of Massimiliano Nicola Mollona